Beautiful park. Well maintained trails and a great place to get away. Most Oklahoma state parks now charge fees, though.

Took a ride out here to check out the water levels with all the rain. You could tell where the water had breached the roads but it was down so all the main roads were passable. Once down to the marina area and several of the parking areas were underwater as were some of the camping areas. There were still people out enjoying things as the sun was out but more rain coming. This is a really nice area when it's full and lush with the water at normal levels. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Marina parking closed off - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

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We stayed in the Post Oak portion of the state park in our travel trailer. We chose the pull through to make things easier for us. The state park did a good job keeping the bathrooms clean, however, the breaker box on the 30amp was not taken care as we keep tripping it running only the ac and nothing else - put my curling iron on and dang out it goes again! These need to be better maintained! Also, we saw MANY tents set up in the pull through slots and the guidelines on the state park website clearly states tents should be only in specific areas. But overall - very nice area - we will try a different section of the park next time. Just way far out from Norman! read more

I'd recommend coming on a dryer day. Red clay mud stains horribly. It is definitely beautiful with a lot of trails read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Oklahoma hiking trail... it's soupy out today - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

Awesome for learning to Sail and to go swimming with the family. Check out the sailing club and be serious if you're serious about learning to sail. read more

The lake brings back childhood nostalgia with great fishing spots and improved amenities. While the docks are decent, they aren't lit and are about 500 feet from parking, so a wagon is helpful. The west side has many floating logs, but the park is peaceful and quiet. We camped in our RV for a few days with hardly anyone around. The lake was beautiful, and there's a pier for sunset views. We also saw many deer throughout the park. read more

We camped at Post Oak - the smaller Post Oak area. It isn't by water but that's okay. It was clean and the camp host was very friendly and helpful. I do agree with some of the other reviews - it is run down. Since it was super clean, shady and not crowded it being rundown didn't bother or affect us in any way. We drove around looking at other areas and may stay in the Little Axe area next time. We would camp at the smaller Post Oak area again but not the larger Post Oak area. When we drove through it there were A LOT of campers. It was actually hard to drive through the area it was so crowded. read more

We came for the first day hike. Well organized. Fun freebies. The employees here are so nice and helpful. The hike was very easy and not challenging at all. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - First day hike! What a fun event! - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

The campground host is wonderful and made our stay enjoy. We haven't been there in a long time but it's still nice and we enjoyed the camping. read more

Great park for camping , concrete sites for flat setups . Boat ramp near by, close to Norman Oklahoma

Beautiful park! Great representation of Oklahoma nature! Many trails and clean camp sites!

Clean, well lit, nice little family swimming spot. Has plenty of life jackets for all sizes. Clean facilities. They are a little strict about using the shelters. read more

so - this is how my trip went............. I had a reservation for a tent site for two days. Nasty weather blew in and it was too late to cancel, so I decided to go and hope for a break in the weather. I'm doing the vanlife thing - I have a mattress in my van and am working online from the road. I love to travel the country and see all the national and state parks. I drove in after work in my van in a thunderstorm. It was dark, pouring with rain, thunder and lightening. I could not for the life of me find the correct campsite. The campsites markers are so small, I could not read them and had to keep getting in and out of the van in the thunderstorm to read them - finally I was soaked and gave up and just parked at a random campsite and slept in the van. In the morning, there was a knock on the window by the "host." (It was still pouring with rain.) He said that I would be charged for an RV site for both nights. I happened to pull into a RV site and would incur an additional charge for the past evening. I asked about my campsite and he said that that I would be charged for an RV site for the upcoming night unless I planned on pitching a tent - I said that had planned on sleeping in a tent, but if it kept raining as hard as it had been I would not be able to pitch a tent. He said that even though I would be parking in the correct place tonight, I would still incur extra charges if I slept in my car - the thunderstorm doesn't matter - if you sleep in your car, for any reason, you have to pay for an RV spot which is much more expensive. So I left. At the end of the day, I paid 42 dollars to spend one miserable night in my van - I was in the park for about 12 hours and didn't even get out of the van to see anything that the park offered. The experience was so negative that I don't plan on ever returning or camping at a state park in Oklahoma again. read more

So, here's the thing. Lake thunderbird is lovely. Picturesque, even. Quaint. With one exception. The gold loop trail. I should become an honorary park ranger for completing that thing. Look. Go look at that map. Like someone put a gps tracker on a hummingbird. I stumbled around out there for FOUR HOURS. Whatever you do, do not follow the bypass signs. I fell down hills, threw up, cried, and then fell down more hills. I came across some thing called gertie's fun run, and if that's not an invite for an insane serial clown killer chase, I don't know what is. If you are able to follow directions, this is doable. For us directionally challenged....don't do it. I finally stumbled out of the woods into traffic like some sort of swamp creature, and found my car. Beautiful day, though. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

Don't go here!! We left a day early because there's ticks everywhere, hiking trails and at the campsite. My two dogs were covered in them, we had them on our neck, legs, stomach and we had them in our Airstream. What a mess. We have a lot of cleaning to do-dogs, clothes, bedding, RV. We have camped/ hiked a lot and have never had this problem before. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Ticks - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

Nice but you have to pay for showers but they don't usually work because the coun boxes stay full and there is NO SEWER hook up for RV's so you have to drive to a dump station. Seems like they'd have free showers so you don't have to dump so often. Maybe it's time to start charging admission to enter park? Rate for RV sites is pretty high $40+ and no sewer! read more

Great place to spend the summer. Boating-Skiing-Swimming-Hanging out-BBQing-Lounging-Just having food and fun. There are walking trails. Bring your bicycle or your horse and riding the trails. Play Pokémon Go?? There are gyms and pokestops and lots of Pokémon to catch. The lake has Beautiful Oklahoma wildflowers in the spring. Outside the park are restaurants and stores to visit. Family and friends will love Thunderbird Lake read more

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We stayed at the Little Axe campground right next to the beach. Although it was extremely windy while we were there 9/16-9/17, we really liked the campground. The beach and water was clean and the grounds were maintained. The only knock on the park is that the gate closed at 11pm. The walk to our campsite would have been about a half-mile. So, no thanks, lol. It's the only campground at this park that has a gate. Overall, nice park! read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Pics from our campsite - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

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It's hard for me to rate anything to do with nature below three starts but I have to. I didn't go to the actual camping park but I did go to the hiking area where you park and walk. There are some off the beaten path trails that I dabbled in a little but not too much. There's also a paved path. Most of the paved path isn't right next to the lake and the view is blocked by forestry which is fine I just thought I'd inform people. On the north side of the lake there's a grilling area with tables and a covered area and a tire swing. There are sadly no paved paths on this side or at least I couldn't see any. On a gorgeous Sunday there were only a handful of people and I can see why. I saw broken glass and lots of trash everywhere. There's no bathrooms or at least a port-a-potty. No water fountains and no signage. It's obvious this park isn't maintained and seems like it's somewhat abandoned. I did happened to see one sign off the main road that says no boating and no fishing. I did however see someone on a boat crawfishing lol. It is so peaceful up here due to the light foot traffic and the nature is beautiful. I will be back here because my love of hiking. I just wish they could at least add a bathroom for people who like to come out for hours. read more

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We love to camp here. Nice sized spots great lakefront views. Great swimming area! Quiet at night.

Lake Thunderbird in Norman, Ok is a great place to Rv or tent camp. They have nice facilities, showers and the lake is beautiful. We're planning on returning. read more

Wow low ratings for such a beautiful area. I have been here a few times and can say I've had nothing but fun and positive experiences. It's bare bones in terms of grounds but it's kept up pretty well and the area is just beautiful. Trails are fun and filed with deer and I saw a bunch of people camping there and they all had a nice set up and seemed very happy to be there. I guess it's a YMMV type of situation but it hooked me! Speaking of hooked...I hear the fishing is great. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Beautiful sunset - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

We recently traveled 7,000 miles, camping at State and National Forest campgrounds along the way. Lake Thunderbird was, by far, the worst place we visited. We had to pick the least trashed site, as most were dirty and filled with piles of cigarette butts. The bathrooms were barely functional, with no TP, and trash containers overflowing to the floor. It was not busy, and most campsites were empty (we visited mid-week). We were up early and anxious to leave. The setting is quite nice, on a large lake; but the views did nothing to offset the poorly maintained park. Well never be back. read more

This was our first camping trip to an Oklahoma State Park. I can say I'm not a huge fan of the reservation website. Even though our neighbors said it was a new system, it seems antiquated and not user friendly. Luckily, we were able to book a last minute trip for the weekend. We stayed in Rose Rock Campground on the south side of the lake. The sites weren't very easily marked and there is some confusion about which picnic table/fire pit were ours. Our site took some work to level, but we were able to make it work. The spots at Rose Rock are pretty close to each other, but they do have lots of great tree cover and at least our neighbors were both friendly. We drove up to Little Sandy swim beach on the north side. They appeared to have a nice set up for people to swim and there were a decent amount of people there. We were having a pretty good time, until we notice some people walking their dogs in the water and let them take a poop in the lake. It was nice to get away from the city and enjoy this view at sunset, so it ended on a high note. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Lake Thunderbird Sunset Rose Rock Campground - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

I LOVED THIS CAMPSITE! Easy to get to, each site is far enough from the next that you have a lot of privacy. It's right on the lake as well. There were lots of deer, and it was quiet and peaceful. Easy to get to the bathrooms as well. But the real reason I love it - they made it super easy to get a site and pay. QR codes on each site, a mobile site that has photos of each site... that's above and beyond. I knew exactly where I was going to camp and didn't have to search out a warden to pay. Modern conveniences in a rustic camp! Good job! read more

This park is somewhat run down. The showers are extremely lacking. There's a limited amount of things to do. When the deer are out in the fall, it's a great place to deer watch read more

I love visiting the park and renting out their pavilions. I always have a good time and my experience has always been good.

I often spend time at Lake Thunderbird during my lunches since I work by the lake. It's always quiet and relaxing. I often capture beautiful photo opts as well. I am sharing some of my favorites I've taken over the past few years working out by the lake. They have many different entrances to enjoy the view. If you ever have a chance take a drive out there and check it out. read more

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Dee is the the camp host I ever met in entire life. Look for her bomb.com. Dee goes above and beyond to make her campers feel at home. Dee lives the life of a model camp host! She was amazing! read more

This place is gorgeous!!! Although we did have some trouble finding the campground since the only directions send you to the main state park address and this campground is a good 10 minutes away down a different road with no signs! Once we got here we were enchanted...beautiful site on the lake and a very helpful state park employee at the front gate. read more

Lake Thunderbird State Park - Sunset over lake thunderbird from little axe campground - Parks Near Me - Norman, Oklahoma

Love to go camping and swimming and I've never had an issue with any lake water except this lake. I always break out in a rash anytime I go here read more

Well fortunately I did not have a 1 star experience at Lake Thunderbird like the yelper below. Sorry Cliff ! I enjoyed my time here running around the lake. Or should I say half way around the lake since I wasn't up for the challenge to run 8.358 sq miles. During the run I noticed a few instances of trash and plenty of murky lake water in Lake Thunderbird aka Dirtybird. The lake was somewhat dry as we ran near the water jumping over trees on the sand while dodging beer bottles and stones. Fortunately the legendary freshwater octopus did not attack us during our visit. Yet the legend does provide intrigue to media outlets such as Animal Planet's Lost Tapes. http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/lost-tapes/creatures/oklahoma-octopus.htm Maybe I'll have better luck when visiting during the Summer time rather than Winter. If you're not into running or hunting for calamari, then considering visiting the lake for the typical activities such as boating, fishing, and hiking. The lake has two marinas and a boathouse that are operated and maintained by the Lake Thunderbird Boathouse volunteer organization. Most importantly the primary purpose of the lake is providing municipal water to Del City, Midwest City and Norman. So please be kind and do not pollute or throw trash in Lake Thunderbird. read more

I love this lake. My family and I recently went hiking on one of their many trails. Their expect loop was fun and a little challenging but easy enough that my 4 year old daughter could keep up. I don't live far from the lake so I often take advantage of all the parks have to offer. Trails, swimming, play grounds for the kids, even trails for horseback riding. The only reason it is not getting 5 stars is because of its terrible nickname of "dirty bird". There is A LOT of broken glass on the beach and in the shoreline. I would NOT recommend swimming without water socks on. Other than that its a great place to spend a day in the outdoors. Lots of wilderness and lots of fun. read more

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Nice park located next to Lake Thunderbird, boat ramp and swimming nearby. Rather trashy, there are cigarette butts in and around the campgrounds. You have to pay to shower. Campsites offer electric and water hookups, for RVs and trailers. They should really do trash pickup. read more

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My review might be a bit construed since I am from Denver where there's a different kind of hiking, types that involve slippery rocks, steep inclines, high elevations up to 14000 feet, snow, thin air, and blistering sun. This park had none of that for the hike so the "advanced" trail was just walking along a bike trail (looked fun) and there were a few hills but for the most part it was a walk through the park (I know my jokes are lame). For how flat Oklahoma is, this might be all you got. The trail looks wide enough to do some running with my dog so i might try that. The lake looks large though so boating and water sports might be worth it. I'll be back to try things out further in the summer read more

This park has so many excellent options for enjoying the outdoors. The best part, however, was spending time talking with Ernie at the Nature Center. This guy is a walking encyclopedia! He should have his own tv show on Discovery. Well, that is if he was so inclined. Thank you for the wonderful visit. This park is a great reminder of the world beyond our electronic gadgets. read more

Dee was such a awesome camp host at hog creek!!! Likes hanging with the locals and is a great camp host!

My husband, my dog,and myself spent the afternoon hiking the trails near hog creek and Zoom Swim Beach. The lake was very clean with no debris. Even around the edges of the water and along all 3 miles of the trail there was no sign of life (garbage) before. Very natural surroundings and wildlife seemed undisturbed by us being there. It was a pleasant well marked "heart healthy" trail and easy to navigate. I would recommend Lake Thunderbird State Park for hiking. I believe the park has many other things to offer but on this day we just hiked. read more

I have a sudden urge to go there and start a fire just for the sole fact of encountering that powerhungry park ranger. I wish he would try that stuff with me, Id have him fired by dawn! read more

The state department of Oklahoma tourism does an excellent job of maintaining and keeping the day use and camp ground areas clean. This is a well developed and excellently planned recreation area well worth s visit! read more